Often times medications, supplements, and the like are packaged in a consumable dosage form to be orally administered. Examples of such dosage forms include, but are not limited to, pills, capsules, tablets, caplets, softgels, and the like. In some instances, a subject is prescribed multiple different medications, supplements, and the like packaged in one or more of the above-noted dosage forms, where each of the medications, supplements, and the like is prescribed to be taken multiple times during a day based on individual and different schedules. In such an instance, the subject is tasked with remembering and following the schedules. Unfortunately, in some instances, the number of different medications, supplements, and the like may make it difficult for the subject to keep track of what they have taken, when they took it, how many they took, and when the next scheduled medications, supplements, and the like is to be taken. As such, a prescribed dosage may be missed or consumed in error.
One way to manage such schedules is through a pill box. Generally, a pill box is a special container made with compartments for each day of the week, and sometimes with compartment sections for different times of the day. With a pill box, the user, a care giver, a family member or other person fills the different compartments and sections according to a prescribed schedule. The user then obtains the appropriate dosage and dosage form(s) at the scheduled time through the corresponding compartment and/or compartment section. Electronic pill boxes can be programmed to automatically discharge dosage forms to the user, and some electronic pill boxes have alarms to alert the user at scheduled times. Such pill boxes have been viewed as a way to prevent or reduce dosage errors, and are well suited for the elderly and others with memory deficiencies and those taking multiple dosages multiple times a day.
The foregoing pill boxes allow a subject to know whether or not they were in physical possession of a scheduled dosage. For example, where a pre-filled compartment or compartment section still contains the dosage, the user or caregiver knows the dosage has not been administered, and where the pre-filled compartment or compartment section is now empty, the user or caregiver knows that the dosage has been removed and assumes that the dosage has been properly administered. Unfortunately, even though the user may have been in physical possession of the proper dosage at the proper time, the user may not have consumed the dosage. As a consequence, although pill boxes facilitate obtaining physical possession of the proper dosage at the schedule time, dosage forms may still be missed or taken in error. For example, the user may set the dosage down form and not remember or incorrectly remember whether or not they actually consumed the dosage form.